A’van is a well-established motorhome (amongst other things) manufacturer producing a wide range of motorhomes – everything from large van Applause conversions to a 7.92m (26ft 3in) coach built B or C class Ovation with an island bed layout.

A typical example of an Ovation layout is my review vehicle - a 6.96m (22ft 10in) M3 B class unit. It shares the common feature amongst all the A’van fleet in that is it is powered by a Fiat Ducato. In the case of the larger motorhomes, an Al-Ko chassis is used to improve the load carrying capacity but in this case a standard Fiat chassis is used.

On the Road

Like many Ducato powered motorhomes built in Australia, the Ovation comes with the most powerful of the Fiat turbo diesels – the 3.0 litre, 132KW/400Nm. Having a good bit of grunt underfoot makes driving the Ovation a breeze – even the six speed AMT gearbox is reasonably well behaved. Although the external rear vision mirrors are good, the extra vision from the rear view camera is an asset.

The Ducato driver’s cab is quite well fitted out with all the expected items. Although mainly a two person motorhome, this Ovation can legally carry four people – driver, passenger and two in the seat behind the driver’s.

Department of the Exterior

For the Ovation M3 Lowline, the Ducato has a GVM of 4,000kg which, given the stated tare weight of 3,170kg, gives it a good load capacity. Being the non-luton peak version does give the M3 a very streamlined look from the front and the two curved windows above the cab add a very European look, as well as more natural light inside!

For the body structure, like several other motorhome manufacturers, A’van’s walls and roof are a fibreglass composite structure with fibreglass mouldings for the front and lower rear bumper bar area. Polypropylene sheet is used for the sub floor; the main floor being raised to cab level is made of timber laminate and allows for storage compartments underneath.

Instead of the more common Seitz style windows, A’van has opted for slightly different shaped Polyplastic tinted, acrylic fittings. They come with integrated blinds and insect screens, but the internal framework does protrude slightly from the walls – not really a problem in this particular motorhome. Given its Euro style, the Hartal door has a top half window, but not a separate security screen. An optional extra on our review motorhome was the polished aluminium bull bar.

External bin space consists of the gas cylinder bin on the offside behind the driver’s cab and two bins on the nearside – the forward one giving access to the under seat area and the rear one giving access to the under bed area. Neither is particularly water proof, so a plastic bin for hoses and other items likely to be wet is definitely recommended. In the forward compartment, a small hatch gives access to the optional Webasto space heater.

Out of sight on the roof are the TV antenna, an Air Command Ibis air conditioner and an optional 80W sound system. Also out of sight are the 95 amp hour deep cycle battery and the 18 amp battery charger - they are located below a floor hatch that sits underneath the table. For the general electricals, A’van has fitted their standard control panels by the entry door.

Department of the Interior

Stepping in through the entry door, a light hued timber look is revealed that has been used throughout. It isn’t too overpowering and plenty of window area gives a good level of natural light. Optional leatherette upholstery is used for all the seating, including the driver’s cab.

For the general layout, there’s a full lounge/dining area that incorporates the front swivelling seats, a smallish offside kitchen, mid-sized bathroom and a rear nearside corner bed. 12V LED light fittings are fitted in mostly logical places and give a good general illumination. An interesting feature of the Ovation is that it comes with a mini home theatre sound system which goes with the TV and DVD player, but oddly enough not with the radio - the motorhome only has the driver’s cab radio/CD player.

Catering and Dining

Designed in a quite compact arrangement, the kitchen bench comes with a Smev three burner cooktop against the wall and a stainless steel sink sitting at a right angle to that, with a circular drainer in between. That doesn’t leave any room  for bench top area, but both the sink and cooktop have smoked glass lids. Although not universally popular, a hinged flap at the bench-end would aid tasks like the washing up. Located under the sink and facing opposite the entry door is a Smev grill oven. The remaining under bench area is devoted to general storage with a cupboard, cutlery drawer and floor locker. Two overhead lockers offer more kitchen storage. A three way 190 litre Dometic fridge with microwave oven above are located opposite the kitchen bench, between the entry door and the bed. A nice touch is the roller shutter door that closes off the microwave oven when not being used.

Sitting Back

Up front, the driver’s seat swivels around to mate with the table and the two seater on the opposite side. Although designed for two when travelling, it is definitely more comfortable for one person at other times. For getting the most usable position, the table will slide back and forwards.

Behind the passenger seat, the sideways facing lounge will also seat two persons but is much better for one, and for those who are not too tall, it’s possible to stretch out a bit. Both the seats are somewhat square to sit in, having flat un-contoured cushions. A flat screen TV is mounted in the corner above the table, which does mean that not all seats can be used for viewing.

There are overhead lockers above on both sides and storage areas under both lounge seats, although the nearside is much easier to get at with access from both inside and out. A power point has been fitted below the seat at floor level, which is sort of conveniently located but also where a plug is likely to get kicked out. The floor level location also means that plug in style chargers really cannot be used.

Sleeping Hours

In order to get everything into a layout like this, the bedroom and bathroom areas are something of a compromise - a usable one I should point out. Fitting into the rear corner, the bed is 1.98m (6ft 6in) long but has a chamfered side, so its width varies from 1.22m (4ft) at the head to 0.91m at the foot. That’s done so that both the  bathroom and adjoining wardrobe can be easily accessed. It’s a bed shape that isn’t going to suit everybody but certainly most people of average height and stature are going to be reasonably comfortable.

Lifting the posture slat bed base gives access to the under bed storage, part of which is taken by the sound system base speaker and it’s certainly more easily accessed from the external bin door. Overhead lockers fill the air space around the bed, while a few recessed slots cut into the bathroom wall offer a bit of night time shelf space.

Keeping Clean

A large roof hatch and medium sized window improves the bathroom’s space perceptions considerably, as does the mixed decor with the curved lines of both the cabinet and overhead lockers. There is just enough room for a shower cubicle, Thetford cassette toilet, wash basin along with storage cupboard and shaving cabinet. Generally speaking, the bathroom layout works quite well.

Verdict

In any motorhome layout there are going to be compromises and this one is no exception. It’s been designed with a relatively spacious lounge/dining area at the expense of a smallish kitchen and a corner bed. However, that does not make it a bad proposition; it just depends on what a prospective owner is happy to live with. There’s no doubt that the Ovation M3 does have just about every necessary feature that is to be found in a contemporary motorhome and for acouple who like to spend a bit of time on the road, then generally speaking, the M3 Lowline layout is quite a happy compromise. 

Category: Reviews
Written: Tue 01 Oct 2013
Printed: October, 2013
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